HAVING seen Dongguk-sa, one of the main reasons to come to Gunsan, we then took the rest of the day to look for anything else worthy of taking in. We didn’t find much. Our first intended stop was the Jinpo Marine Theme Park, within walking distance of Dongguksa...

THE city of Gunsan doesn’t get much attention from tourists, unless they’re stationed there or visiting Jeollabuk-do. That’s a bit of a shame, since it’s in the smaller towns where you’ll find the more unusual sights that have fortunately...

If your travels take you to Jeonju’s tourist-friendly Hanok Village, you might discover the small traditional wine museum within (전주 전통술박물관 – Jeonju jeon-tong-sul bak-mul-gwan). While not particularly worth visiting on its own, it’s a decent exhibition of...

KOREA has no shortage of campy places to take kids, and more often than not they end up interesting to the young-at-heart. While there are demonstrations of trained simians at Everland and on Jeju-do (among other places), this is the original in a land of knockoffs....

It’s sometimes said that teachers have to have the patience of a saint. That may be true, but it pales in comparison to that of 이갑룡 (LEE Gap-ryong). Born in 1860 in Jeonju, the man hand-set 108 towers of rock – some reaching up to 15 meters high –...

Out in the middle of nowhere, you never know what you’re going to find. A Buddhist temple open only one day a year? Been there. A park dedicated to faithful dogs? Yep, there too. Next up, a Trojan horse – just like the ones in your ancient Greek textbooks....

I’m half-naked in a bathroom stall, trying not to spill all my stuff onto a wet and dirty floor. Is this supposed to be a vacation or the end of a bad night out?, I thought. It’s the former, of course, but arriving at a beach at 4pm means the facilities...

”WE’RE the only two people getting off the train,” I said upon reaching the rural station. Parts of Osu station, along with the town, look and feel like the countryside from decades past. It’s a good thing the Mugunghwa trains still serve this area, although the...

WE found Geumsansa while looking for another temple – of course, we had to stop and take a look around. First built in 599 or 600 AD (sources disagree), King Beop of the Silla Dynasty was a devout Buddhist, and Geumsansa (금산사, 金山寺) was the main temple to...

Jesus Christ – a fitting place to start part 2 of the Jeonju post. Part 1 is here, so go back and read it again! One Jeonju landmark is the Jeondong Catholic Church. It borders the Jeonju Hanok Village, and is noted as National Treasure #288 by the powers that be....